Nine Years Later
by cb150681
Summary: Rory is back in Starts Hollow and Jess just stop by. And they meet again nine years later.
1. Rory is Back

Nine years had passed and there she was again back in Stars Hollow… It was not good but it was not bad either. She didn't know how to feel really… Being with her mother all the time was really nice, but the feeling that she failed somehow in her propose of being a real life journalist… she couldn't get that idea out of her head.

The most understanding of her feelings was Luke, he noticed her frustration when people spoke to her, letting her know that it was a good thing she was back. He offered her the apartment above the diner, for her to live in, he understood how demeaning it could be for a young supposedly successful woman to come back to her mother's house.

She said that she would think about it. She had got to Stars Hallow two days ago and she was still deciding what to do with her life and since Luke was living with her mother the apartment was sitting empty. She needed to figure out what to do next with her life, her work on Washington Post was a good reference letter, especially because she was let go because of budget issues not because of her ability or lack of professionalism, but after the Obama campaign it all seems so promising, the opportunities just keep falling in her lap, and she was not prepared for being out of a job in a blink of an eye, not at all…

She entered Luke's diner with all that stuff in her head and sat at the counter.

"What can I get you?" Luke asked but got no response. "Rory? What can I get you? Rory? Are you here?"

Rory finally noticed that Luke was saying something to her. "What? Sorry Luke, yes I'm here and I will have coffee, of course, a large one please and a blueberry muffin."

"Ok… are you feeling good? … You have a strange look on your face."

"Well all of this is new and I need to figure out what to do with my life you know…" In all these years her relationship with Luke was getting really good. In the beginning he was like her father who wasn't really around but when she left he seemed to get closer to her. It seemed like he understood her better than her mother. Her frustrations and expectations were more simple for him to sense and he got her very quickly, before she noticed he grew from kind of a father to kind of a friend and that was very nice.

One thing he really understood too and her mother didn't even talk about was Jess. Jess visited Luke from time to time, he still lived in Filly and worked in Truncheon Books and had written two more books. Rory secretly bought every different copy of Jess' books every time she found one. They spoke from time to time, when he released one book or when she wrote some article that hit too many tweets, but nothing more than that, mostly Rory knew about Jess by Luke. And she liked to know about him, she really didn't know how things between them could be labeled but Luke always made her smile when he told her that Jess paid a visit or called him to say that something good had happened in the publishing house.

Rory thought Luke secretly always wanted Rory and Jess together and sometimes she thought that's what she always wanted too… But life got in the middle and they never had the opportunity to do anything about that. They were not friends because friends spoke to each other more often than they did but they had some kind of connection because he always knew the right moment to call her.

Since Logan, she only had been with two guys, Jerry and Dean, not Dean Dean, another Dean, and none of them got her where she was supposes to be. Meaning none of them made her really fall in love. She almost got married to the new Dean but sometime along the way they fell apart, they grew distant and simply broke up, knowing that marriage wasn´t a good fit for them. How tricky the universe could be that put in your path a man that has the same name as your first love. For some time she really believed that they were meant to be. Fortunately, they didn't start planning, he just asked her and she said yes and the wall between them began to grow, she knew it was her fault and deep inside she knew that she didn't love him like he loved her and she was the one who began to construct the wall.

After analyzing her life and her choices she decided to stay single for a while. She thought that some time alone would bring some new light on her life. All these years she never admitted to herself that she compared all the men's she dated to Jess, even Logan. And all these years she never admitted to anyone that she sometimes dreamed about having a family with Jess.

She didn't even admit that to herself but here and now she recognized that she missed Jess in her life. He probably was the only one that could have her starting to think about having a life beyond work and friends. Here and now she truly missed Jess and sometimes Luke seemed to know that…

* * *

"Mom I need o talk to you," Rory announced, entering the living room.

Luke came out from the kitchen, he already knew what the conversation was going to be about. She had accepted his offer and had decided to live in the diner apartment. Lorelai was not gonna be happy about it so Luke came to the living room to give Rory some support.

Rory spoke low, rubbing her hands over her pants. "I'm going to live in Luke's apartment above the diner, ok?"

Lorelai looked astonished. "What? Why? Why on earth do you want to get far away from me when you have just arrived?"

Rory was already prepared for the drama. She knew her mother too well.

"Rory tell me why?" Lorelai sounded upset or maybe sad.

Luke came closer to Lorelai and hugged her from behind speaking close to her hair. "Let her be Lorelai, she needs space."

Lorelai turned to face Luke and now she looked mad. "From her mother?"

Rory breathed deeply and started speaking without stopping. "Mom I'm just gonna explain this to you once. You know me and you know us, so please try to be normal and understand what I am feeling right now. Think like if this was with you. I just returned home, after being on my own for nine years. By this, I'm accepting my failures and my defeat. I lost my job and for now, I don't really know what to do with my life. I need my space, my privacy and need time to figure out what to do with my life and my time and basically, I need to find me again and for that, I need to be alone for a while and we both know that that is impossible here. So just let me be. OK?"

Lorelai listened in silence with her arms crossed over her chest with some kind of childish attitude. When Rory finished, she opened her mouth to speak but she closed it again. She kept her eyes on her and finally said, "OK! But we see each other every day."

Rory nodded in agreement. She knew that she was going to be mad at her for a while but eventually her mother would accept the circumstances.

They turned their backs on each other and Rory left to pick up her stuff. Luke had said to her that he would take her stuff to the apartment but she needed to collect everything. She didn't unpack almost anything so it would be a pretty easy task.

* * *

The apartment looked exactly the same. And suddenly a big storm of emotions and memories hit her right in the chest. Jess' face, Jess' smell, Jess' bed, Jess' couch and some of Jess' stuff. It was all there and she could almost sense him there. Suddenly she missed everything about him. Maybe this decision of living in Luke's apartment was not such a good idea after all. She could see Jess here trying to offering her a soda and begging her to accept avoiding him, making a fool of himself.

She smiled to herself. This place gave her very good memories.

Luckily she was alone and no one saw the goofy smile on her face. She sat on the couch and traveled back to that time. They were just two messed up teenagers that actually loved each other and couldn't handle that.

She never found anyone that she felt connected to like she felt with Jess. They simply spoke the same language and unfortunately for her that was too hard to find. And being here, now, in this place, made all the feeling and memories come back to haunt her.

She started to unpack, first the book box of course. She started to pull them out and place them randomly on Luke's bookcase. When she got to Jess' books she stopped again. Sitting on the floor she started to read one of her favorite passages. She forced herself to close the book and keep unpacking, leaving the book on the floor next to her. But she still kept staring at it for a second. How their lives turned so much. How was Jess a published author of three short novels now and she was out of a job and back in Stars Hollow again? She was alone and living by favor where she and Jess shared so many good moments. Life was a bitch!

Luke came to check on her and offered her some help and coffee of course. He noticed Jess' book on the floor and she noticed that he was looking at it but both kept their silence about that. He showed her some drawers that were empty and that she could use and freed up some more space on the bookcase when he realized the amount of books that she had bring with her. He showed her where the linens were and the bathroom towels and tried to show her the kitchen supplies but she just smiled at him, telling him that she would not need that and that she trusts that she could find enough food in the diner downstairs.

Luke finally picked up the book from the ground and noticed all the notes that were written in the margins. "Jess does this to books too, I don't get it…"

"I really caught the habit from him. We write our thoughts about the story in the margins. It was a big problem when I started returning the library books full of notes." She said with a smirk.

"I never thought that Jess could influence you on anything," Luke said looking through the window.

"More than you think really." Rory blushed a little and Luke noticed.

"He comes here often?" Rory could not believe that she was really asking this but her curiosity took over her and she was feeling strange and nostalgic since she entered the apartment.

"Now and then yes. Avoiding all important dates… You know Jess. But don't worry I believe that he will not pay a visit soon. Last time we spoke he was swamped with work."

"And when was that?" Rory was unstoppable really.

Luke looked at her smiling then he approached the window. "Last week I think… don't worry Rory he probably will not be here for more than a month." Luke said looking closer through the window. "Or not…" And just like that Jess was parking downstairs next to the dinner. Luke went mute.

"Or not what?" Rory asked but Luke didn't answer and kept looking through the window making Rory get up from the place she was placing books and go check what was so fascinating outside.

Luke just pointed to the black Ford pickup that had parked near the diner making Rory question him again. "What?" and then Jess got out of the truck making Rory's heart beat so fast that she could feel it in her head. "Oh!"

Luke looked at her, she was blushing. "Yeah… Oh!"

Rory and Luke keep looking through the window observing Jess' movements.

Luke looked at Rory. "Do you want me to tell him to go?"

She tore her gaze away from the window and from Jess and focused on Luke. "Not at all Luke, no way…"

It was hard to focus on anything but the young awesome man that was picking a small duffel bag from the black Ford pickup outside, but she would never ask Luke for something like that. He was his nephew and this was his place too. But she had to confess she was not at all prepared to meet Jess today. She looked around and realized that she had no place to go so if he came upstairs she would have no option then to talk to him and be in the same room with him and be close to him. She started to feel really nervous and her heart started to pump in her ears.

"Maybe I should go downstairs and meet him," Luke said waiting for Rory to sort of allow him to.

She smiled at his concern. This man was really amazing, he really cared about her. She always knew, but seeing his abashment around this situation made her almost laugh inside. For a bit, it seemed he was more nervous than her for them to meet. Luke always was pretty supportive of Rory and Jess. She thought he loved the idea that Jess could end up with someone that he valued and respected so much. She knew that for Luke she always was a role model, even before his daughter came and turned out to be a pretty smart girl, he always cheered for all Rory's victories and always looked at her with pride, that kind of father-daughter pride and that always made her feel close to him.

"Maybe you should Luke." He turned his back and headed straight to the door. "And Luke?" He turned to look at her, waiting for what she was about to say. "Thank you. And please don't drive him away. I can handle it OK?"

He smiled at her. In the end, she seemed happy to know he was downstairs. "You're welcome and I will not. Actually, maybe it's good for you two to talk. Don't you think?"

She just nodded in agreement and got back to her unpacking. Luke left the room and closed the door behind him. When he got to the diner Jess was already at the counter. "Hey."

Jess smiled and nodded. "Hey."

"That's a surprise. What brings you here?" Luke asked dying to tell him that Rory was upstairs. But this situation didn't belong to him to tell.

Jess gave a small smile. "So apparently you are not very happy to see me."

"Of course I am happy! Just surprised. Last time you were here you spoke about coming back after Christmas and now here you are." Luke said serving Jess some coffee.

"I was nearby because of the editor and decided to spend the night if it's ok with you. After all, the apartment is empty and I was not in the mood to go back to Philly tonight." Jess informed Luke with his eyes on the coffee cup. The truth was he missed Luke and the diner lately. He really didn't know why but from time to time he felt lost and needed to come "home." Well not home because this wasn't his real home but in the end, Luke was the only family that he really considered family. As much as he struggled with the feeling that he had to try to get along with his mother and father the truth was he just couldn't look at them the same way that he looked at Luke. He was Jess' refuge. He always felt safe with his uncle, as much as they fought, the truth was Luke was always the only one that really cared about him. And for a troubled teenager with zero expectations about life, meeting someone that was willing to help him to be a better person was overwhelming. Yes, he never really knew how to handle all this feelings and support but he recognized all that and when he decided to stop being that cocky dumb kid he told that to Luke. Jess had tried to pay him back all he could and he was very happy with the fact that after all these years he has a place to go that felt like home to him.

"Yes, Jess it's ok. Just a small thing. The apartment is occupied now but I think you two could share it without problems." Luke informed Jess with a smirk.

"Occupied? By who?" Jess' poker face was priceless. He for sure was not expecting this.

Meanwhile, Rory was upstairs feeling nervous and circling around the room looking at the mess she had made with all of the bags and boxes as she tried to figure out where to put everything. The floor was complete chaos and she didn't even know where to start. Looking at the door she felt her heart beat fast again. Jess was downstairs and she didn't quite knew why she was so nervous about that but in that moment she decided that she needed to take it out of her chest and go downstairs and face him and hope she felt better after that.

In a blink of an eye, she was downstairs. When she saw him he was with his back to her. Her heart raced again, she could feel it everywhere.

When he turned back and faced her she blushed and he was so surprised that he almost fell off the stool.

"Hi," He said, smiling.

"Hi," She said, facing him with her whole body shaking. She really hoped that he didn't notice. Then she turned to Luke and added, "Hi."

"Hi! Oh my, I think I'm having déjà vu." And with that the three of them broke into a big laugh.


	2. Good Night Dodger

**Second part of Rory and Jess story enjoy ;)**

* * *

They both started at each other in silence after the laugh. For sure Luke was right, this really felt like dejá vu.

Jess was the one who broke the silence. After no one really noticed how long, Jess spoke and that make Rory shiver. "Do you want a cup of coffee?"

Still recovering from hearing his voice and from the effect that it had on her, she smiled and accepted. "Yes, that's a good idea. Maybe we should sit?"

"Ok far away from the window then. You know how Stars Hallow works..." Jess said with a smirk and headed to a table close to the corner that no one ever used.

Rory was still surprised with her reaction to him. She never thought that seeing him would have this effect on her. Once again he was the one who broke the silence. That was something that proved that Jess was really a different guy from the grumpy teenager all full of himself that he used to be. And that too made Rory want more of this Jess. She really wanted to get to know him again.

"So you're back then?" Jess asked. He was really curious about this change in her life. He kept up to date with her work and she was an excellent writer and he always liked what she wrote. Apparently she was doing a great job in DC. He really was surprised to see her here. But for sure it was a good surprise, the kind of surprise that put a stupid smile on his face and he couldn't it take it off as much as he tried. He was more than happy to see her and he didn't know that seeing her would make such an impression on him. For a moment he traveled back to their first meeting and that feeling of "I like this girl" that he felt the first time they saw each other and kept feeling for months until they finally hooked up.

Rory noticed Jess was analyzing her, trying to understand if this coming back thing was good or bad. "Yeah apparently I'm back."

"Are you on vacation?" Jess asked, already knowing that was not very accurate because if she was on vacation she would be at her mother's house. This seemed a lit bit more permanent.

"You could call it that. But I was forced into it." She added, smiling.

"Forced? How so?"

She kept her smile. She was not ready for this conversation at all. But he was here in front of her and he was not going to back off until she told him what happened. She knew him too well and for that too, it was hard to show him that she had failed. She knew that he would not judge her for sure but it was hard to admit your failures, especially to someone that always looked at her as a role model.

"Well, I'm without work for now. I got fired!" Rory concentrated on the coffee that Luke had brought right before she spoke. She didn't want to face him but she ended up checking his reaction. He looked shocked. She didn't understand if he was disappointed with her or not. But for sure he was surprised. But he didn't give his game away and calmly asked her, "What happened?"

"Budget issues. I was the youngest and they had to let go of someone so I was the one who had to leave."

"Oh that does not really seem fair on their part. You are a much better journalist than some of your older colleagues." He noticed her surprised look. "And yes I read almost everything you wrote and some of what your colleagues write too."

She gave a teasing smile.

"What? It's a good newspaper!" He added, smiling too and trying to not give to much meaning to his actions.

Rory knew he read her work, especially online, because of his comments from time to time. Not with his real name, but with his nickname. Just she could notice that Dodger was Jess Mariano, that was something between them. Dodger and Book Tease were their nicknames since the beginning and both of them never stopped using it online. It was their thing and neither her nor him thought about changing it. They fit perfectly.

They keep up the small talk for awhile. They shared mostly stuff from their professional life. Rory told him about how she felt when she realized that she was the one who was leaving. The struggle with the decisions ahead. The hard decision of coming back home, the job hunt and feeling like a loser when she entered her mother's house with all of her stuff again. He told her about the books and Truncheon and how he was struggling too to write the new book and the pressure that he still felt to be good after all this time. He confessed to her that he still felt like a loser sometimes too. He told her that he ended up finishing school and went to community college to get a degree, a revelation that made her jump from her chair and hug him. Because that was something that she always had wanted for him. She was surprised Luke didn't tell her that and Jess told her he asked Luke to not tell anyone. Not because it was a secret but just because he didn't want, as always, to make a big thing about it.

Time passed without them even noticing. Luke kept bringing them coffee and food from time to time and watched them with a big smile on his face from behind the counter. He was really happy to witness this encounter and seeing both so into each other made him thrilled inside. Secretly he had always wished that they ended up together. He never believed that it would really happen one day but seeing them today like this was really enjoyable.

When they finally notice that the time had passed they looked to the window that separated Taylor's crazy shop from Luke's and there they were. Kirk and Babbet sat on a chair watching them like they were watching some tv show. Rory and Jess broke out laughing.

How long have those two been standing there?" Jess asked Luke.

"I believe they have been watching you two for more than an hour. Taylor already brought them popcorn's and soda like in the movies," he said laughing and shaking his head while he cleaned the counter.

"Well now you know that this town is still the same. How come we decided that here was a good place to come back again?" Rory asked smiling.

After all this Jess encounter ended up being pretty natural. They kept talking like they had seen each other two weeks ago and that felt really good.

She felt relieved to talk all of her frustrations and insecurities out and he was just the listener that she needed. He always looked at her like she was way better than him and showing him how her career just went from ten to zero kind of let her breathe again. She could fail and could lose and he was the only one that looked at her totally knowing how a person could feel when she lost. He always thought that he was a failure and he was not good enough for her. She always showed him the contrary and it was her that made him believe that he could write. And he did and now he was an almost famous author. He had told her that himself, so sharing her defeat with him was a relief. She always felt a little uncomfortable with the expectations that he, and manly her mother and Luke, put on her. Now it was more like they were related because they had lived the same feeling of defeat that takes you down and rips your dreams apart. And now he, the one that already lived this, would help her raise her head up and get back in the fight again. It was great to meet him here after all. Now she finally felt that she had direction.

He looked at her smile and thought back to the day they meet at her house. The day, that for some reason he couldn't tell at the time, he knew that Stars Hallow could be a good place to be. She was the only thing that kept him from running from this town and the one who without saying a word dared him to give a new begging in his life a chance. He regretted a lot about that time, mostly things related to her. His failures had repercussions in their lives, in their life together. They had something good going on and he through it all away. But for her, he turned his life around and made himself a respectful man. He would not confess that she was the main reason, but he was pretty sure everybody knew that she was a major influence on him becoming a published author. He knew he had played an important role in her life too. He knew that their conversation about her dropping out of Yale triggered something in her that made her turn her life around.

He open a big smile and once again broke the silence between them. "So that means that you are living upstairs right?"

She turned her gaze from the window to look at him. Her eyes were still smiling but her face was more serious now. "I was unpacking when you arrived. But if you need the apartment for some reason I could leave. For real Jess, it's your uncle's house."

He smiled at her. The smile that was almost just a smirk, the smile that among many other things made her fall for him when they were young.

"No Rory. I will not do that to you. I, better that anyone else, knows how you must feel right now. But I was planning to staying the night and if you don't mind and if I remember right, there are two beds so we could both use the apartment... "

"Oh!" Her expression closed down a little. Clearly, she was not expecting this situation.

"… It's just for the night... and if that it's a problem with you I totally understand." The smirk was gone and he started rubbing his hands on his pants. Clearly, he had crossed some line here and maybe he should not have suggested this arrangement. "Look it's ok! I can manage myself."

"No... Jess! It's ok. Of course we could sleep one night in the same apartment. There are two beds and we are adults. It's ok really!" She said in a low tone and with a shy smile. And with that she got up. "And if we intent to sleep this night at all I need to finish unpacking and organize all that mess that I created upstairs."

Jess watched her leave and go straight to the door behind the counter. He stayed at the table for bit processing all that they had talked about. Today they would sleep in the same space. He had never been so close to her during the night. He never thought that this, her, seeing her again could affect him so much. The last time he saw her was that day she was in Philly for his book launch. He sent her an invitation to his other book launches but she was always working in places far from Philly. She always answered him and supported him but they ended up never meeting in person. They from time to time exchanged messages but not more than that, just keeping in touch.

"So what was the arrangement?" Luke asked taking Jess from his memories.

"What? Oh! Yeah, she... she said it was ok and I will use my old bed and she will use yours." Jess answered without looking at his uncle, focusing on the movement outside.

"And what do you think Amber will think about that?" Luke asked again.

"Oh, Amber... She probably doesn't mind because she left two months ago."

Luke stared at him surprised. This girl was his second real girlfriend that he knew of but Jess seemed very into to this relation. They had been living together for more than a year. "What happen?"

Jess smiled at his uncle. He really couldn't explain what had happened. They just apparently grew apart. "Well, you know... it just stopped making sense. She felt I was distant and I probably was. I liked her a lot but after a while, we stopped talking and for no reason we just started to be two separate people sharing an apartment and not a couple and one day she decided it was time to leave... and when I got home she was gone." He still focused his gaze outside.

"And did you talk after that?"

"Yes, I called her to try and understand what had happened. I probably should have put up a fight but I didn't. You know me... I... Well, there is no more Amber. I'm living solo again."

Luke smirked. "That's convenient!"

Jess looked at him. "Don't be like that. We are adults, not two horny teenagers anymore and a lot of things have happened since then. We are in a good place and I don't intent to ruin that."

Luke smiled to himself, turning his back on Jess and got back to his work mumbling, "ok."

Jess went back to the counter, picked his bag from where he had left it and asked Luke. "Do you think I should go upstairs and help her out?"

Luke made a face. "She made a mess upstairs. You know the Gilmore's and maybe you should give her some time to put her things in place... don't you think?"

Jess nodded. "You're right. I'm going to the bridge, maybe I can write a little." And with that Jess left without waiting for Luke's answer.

Rory checked the window and saw Jess heading down the sidewalk. For a beat she wondered where he could be going but she found out pretty quick when he turned in the direction of the river. He was heading to the bridge. Their bridge. Jess always liked that spot and he used to hide there a lot. If she made a bet he was probably going to write. Knowing all that without even asking him made her smile. She turned to her mess and hurried to arrange all her stuff. She didn't want him to see all her stuff laying around. They would be sharing the apartment and she wanted him to feel at home and not like he was a burden or an intruder in here.

As soon as Jess got to the bridge a bunch of memories came to him. Uncle Luke bringing him to the river, Rory's picnic basket, his lone walks to that place, Rory meeting him there when he disappeared. She always knew where he was when he vanished! And that was always one of the many things that made him love her. With a smile on his face, he pulled the tablet from his messenger bag and started writing. This place has a really good energy, he should come here more often, he thought to himself. He didn't notice the time passing and he just stopped writing because he noticed the light was fading. He decided to head back, Luke was probably worried about him at this time.

* * *

"He's probably at the bridge, Luke!" Rory said still arranging some space for her last bit of clothes in one of the drawers that Luke pointed out as free for her to use.

"He usually doesn't stay there for so long!" Luke said worriedly.

"He said he was struggling to write the next book, maybe the bridge did the trick for him!" Rory suggested.

"You think?" Luke asked while looking around at her progress. Luke had brought her another cup of coffee. Today she had lost count of the amount of coffee she had drank.

Lorelai had passed through the diner when she was on her way home, to check on her and give Luke a kiss. Rory promised her mother that she would have dinner with her and Lorelai left the diner straight to Doozies to pick some pop tarts.

Rory nor Luke told Lorelai about Jess and the apartment sharing arrangement. Neither one knew how she would react if she knew so even without talking about it they both omitted the subject of Jess and she didn't notice his truck outside so she didn't know that he was even in Stars Hallow. They almost bumped into each other but Lorelai was so distracted about what dinner she should order that she didn't even notice him coming from the bridge and entering the diner seconds after she left.

"Well finally!" Luke said relieved.

"Hey! I was on the bridge. Writing!"

"Yes, Rory suggested that," Luke informed him, smiling again. It was really not just a smile, it was more a smirk like a teasing smile.

Jess stayed quiet for a moment. Then smiled to himself and mumbled, "apparently she still knows my habits!"

Luke continued his cleaning process while Jess sat at the table he and Rory used before and started reading what he had written so far. It wasn't bad but he was not sure if that was what he wanted.

"Can I bring you something?" Luke asked.

Jess turned his attention from the tablet to focus on his uncle. "Do you think it's ok for me to go upstairs?"

Luke smiled at Jess' insecurities. In the end, he would always be his shy and insecure nephew. "I think it's not a problem, no."

"Maybe I should bring dinner, don't you think?"

Luke smiled again, he was very happy to assist with this reconnection. "That's an excellent idea. Do you want something in particular? Or burger and fries are enough for you?"

" Yes, that's good. And put cheddar on Rory's and a side of bacon. You know she loves bacon… And what pie do you have? Blueberry pie, do you have?" Jess asked in excitement.

Luke laughed at him. "Yes, I have blueberry pie and don't worry I still know how Rory likes her burger."

Jess cast his gaze down and smirked at himself, going back to his table and to his reading. "I will be waiting here."

Luke fixed their dinner and put on Jess' table a to go bag. "Here it is! Enjoy!"

Jess looked at him, smiled, put his tablet in his messenger bag, picked his duffel bag and the dinner up and headed straight for the stairs. Without looking at his uncle and in a low tone of voice Jess warned, "Uncle Luke please don't read too much into this. We are just good friends. "

Luke didn't answer him, just nodded his head in agreement with a satisfied look on his face.

Rory had almost everything in place. There were still two boxes of books that she really didn't know where to put so she decided that she could leave them in the boxes for awhile until she decided what to do with them. She was putting some clothes in the cabinet when she heard the knock.

"Yes? Come in!"

Jess entered with the "to go bag" with Luke's symbol on it which made Rory break into a big smile.

"Luke thought you could eat something." Jess said, putting the food on the table.

Rory looked at him and once again traveled back in time, to that one night when Jess appeared at her front porch, with one of those" to go bags" from Luke's with dinner for her and Paris claiming that it was Luke who had to sent him. The next day she found out that the food was all Jess' idea and not Luke's. Maybe she was wrong but this time it seemed the same. "So did you even tell Luke that you had brought this up here?"

He smiled but didn't face her. "He was the one who prepared the food."

"So you brought me dinner right?" She said, teasing him.

"You have to eat. I just brought the food up. Nothing much," he said still not facing her and organizing the table.

"You brought me dinner... Thank you!" She teased again.

"Oh come on is just food!" He finally looked at her. They both started at each other. "A little déjà vu again right?" He asked.

She nodded . "Yes and a good one."

"I was just a cocky kid at that time."

"Yes you were, but you always were good for me, and in the end your intentions were good."

"Too bad you and Luke were the only ones who noticed that." Jess said with some regret.

"You didn't make it easy for any one to like you, did you?"

"Yeah. Like I said, cocky kid!" Jess said picking up his burger. "Let's eat?"

"Oh yes! Let's eat. I'm starving!" Rory took a bite of her burger and rolled her eyes in pleasure. "God I missed Luke's food!"

Jess laughed at her reaction and kept eating. When he looked at her again she was making an awkward face, making him question the quality of the food, did he forget something that she didn't like. "What? Not good?"

"My mother!" She says in a worried tone.

Jess kept staring at her clueless about what she meant.

"I promised my mother that I'd have dinner with her. Bummer! She will get upset with me. She is pretty overprotective this days."

"I'm sure Luke will tell her something about this."

"But I have to caller anyway," she said trying to find her phone. She called her and waited for her to answer. "Mom? I'm sorry!"

"No problem kid, Luke told me about your unexpected visitor." Lorelai said.

But Rory noticed she was not so relaxed about it as she wanted to sound.

"Mom are you really ok with this?" Rory asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes, Rory it's ok. Just … Well, can we have dinner tomorrow instead?"

"Yes, mom of course." This was unexpected but good. "I promise that tomorrow we can dinner together. Bye, mom!"

"Bye sweetie!"

"Ok these days I think Luke understands my decisions and my position better than my mom. I don't get it how she doesn't see that I need my time to put my head together." Rory said, almost losing her breath.

"Luke is always ready to fight for a lost cause," Jess said smiling, already knowing she was going to fight with him about this.

"Hey, I'm not a lost cause." Rory said, pretending to pouted.

"No! I was and he believed that I could turn into something good as an adult. He get's you because he loves you like a daughter, but unlike your mother, he knows life can be a bitch sometimes. Lorelai is not used to seeing you fail so she really doesn't know what to do with that. Luke knows how to deal with failure." Jess was clearly talking about himself.

Luke was and always had been her father figure. Yes, Cristopher was her father but Luke was always the one who was around and she felt really comfortable debating her insecurities with him. Luke was a really good friend that was helping her right now more than she realized.

"No cream?" Rory asked when she realized the blueberry pie was without cream.

Jess reached into the bag and pulled out the cream with a smirk. "Do you really think I'd have forgotten about something so important like that?"

"You know what? I'm really glad that you still know me so well. It's really... comfortable I think." Rory said eating her pie with a look of lust on her face.

Jess got up from the table and started to snoop around her books. He found a box on the ground and peeked inside. He recognized the books that were on top. They were his books. The ones he had written. He looked at her. She was still almost flirting with the pie. Her look made him laugh. "Tell me something. Why do you have more than one copy of my books."

She looked at him surprised and blushed. "So you found the box... Ha... Well, the truth is when I find an edition that I like I buy it. I have three copies from the first and two from the second. Please don't laugh at me. I wrote in all the margins in the first one so I decided to buy a new one when I found it in some bookstore. And then it became a habit. When the margins are full I buy another edition."

Jess put on his sweetest smile. The smile that he usually saved for the people that really matter to him. "How many times did you read them?"

"I lost count," She said looking at the floor. She came close to him. He was sitting on the floor and she sat in front of him. She took the book from his hands. "I'm really proud of what you become Jess and I always believed that you could do magic tricks. Your books are like that, magic tricks."

He leaned close to her and she got close to him too. For a moment they locked their gaze on each other. The desire between them was almost palpable. He caressed her face and she let him do it, tilting her head to the side. Their faces were pretty close when someone knocked on the door interrupting their almost kiss, again.

Rory got up and opened the door. "Hi Luke, thank you for the food." She said smiling and letting him enter the room.

"It was Jess idea. No problem with your mother?" Luke asked.

"No! We talked, it's all ok, no worries." Rory informed him.

"Great. Look I just came to tell you guys I'm leaving home. Cesar will close up tonight, but if you two need something from downstairs feel free to pick it up."

"Ok Uncle Luke. Thank you! See you tomorrow." Jess, that was already close to them, added.

"Bye guys!"

"Goodnight Luke. And thank you for everything!" Rory said giving Luke a hug. Luke was not good with this kind of situation but it was Rory and he hugged her back. "Good night guys!"

* * *

"Ok, I'm tired! I think I have to sleep." Rory informed Jess and headed to the bathroom. When she got out she was wearing one of Luke's t-shirt and some gym shorts. Jess smiled at her figure. She laughed at him. "I didn't bring anything appropriate to sleep with company." She smiled shyly as she headed to bed.

It was Jess turn to use the bathroom and no more than two minutes later he was out with just his boxers on. "Sorry I don't really have nothing to sleep in and you used Luke's last shirt.

Rory didn't say a word, just smiled and got into her bed.

Jess did the same. "Good night Rory!"

"This is strange right?" Rory asked.

"It is but we will survive." Jess answered.

"Good night Dodger!" Rory whispered.

Jess laughed. "Goodnight Book tease!"

* * *

 **And thank you so much for reading!**


	3. New Normal

**Enjoy the third part of Rory and Jess story!**

* * *

In the middle of the night, Jess heard her going to the bathroom. Minutes later he heard her trying the fridge and drinking something. Probably water. Clearly, she was having problems sleeping. She came back to bed but he could hear her tossing and turning. He fought the urge to ask her if she was ok. Instead he turned his back on her and tried to sleep. Minutes later he heard her get up again. Silently she crossed the room and went to the bookcase, he could hear her picking out a book. Smiling Jess sat up and rubbed his face asking her in a husky tone: "Are you ok?"

She jumped in surprise. "Sorry I... I can't sleep! I'm sorry that I woke you!"

"It's ok! Can I help you with something?" She looked sleepy but still beautiful like she always looked to him.

"No Jess it's ok, I just... Well, I probably will read a bit and then I will end up falling asleep," She said, turning her back and heading to bed.

"Hey! Come here!" He called.

"What?" She asked surprised.

"Come here. I will help you sleep."

"Oh, Jess..." She said casting her head down.

He laughed. "Not like that Rory! Just come here ok!" He opened his arms to her.

She blushed with how dirty her mind was but ended up leaving the book on her bed and walked to his bed and lay down close to him. It was a single bed after all, not much free space. He hugged her around her waist and pulled her even closer to him. They moved and cuddled until they found a comfortable position for both of them. She fell asleep almost immediately.

The morning came quickly and Jess cursed himself because he totally forgot to close the blinds that were now letting the morning sun enter, waking them up. But apparently, Rory was not affected by the sunlight because she was still in a deep sleep. Raising his head to watch her, trying not to feel weird about watching her sleep like that, his night thoughts came to his mind again. He fell for Rory for her head not her looks, but she was indeed beautiful and facing her like this with her messy hair and that angelical face he just breathed in and whispered amazingly beautiful to himself. He had to fight the urge to caress her face, and just in that moment he noticed that they had their hands internewed making him smile to himself and enjoying that little moment for a bit more before he had to wake her up.

This was totally new to them, cuddling like this in the bed, holding hands and sleeping next to each other. They never did that, their relationship didn't get that far. But he had to confess he was a bit nervous to be so close to her. Feeling her body so close to him, it was amazing but scary, they had never been together as adults but here and now he was certain that everything he thought he had put behind him with his feelings for her was not behind him after all. The truth was nine years had passed since the last time they kissed. And it was a kiss that shouldn't count because she was in love with another guy.

He felt her move under his arms and tried to get mentally ready for the awkward moment that would come next.

Rory turned her head quickly to acknowledge where she was but she didn't take her hand out of his, looking at him and with a relaxed smile. "Good Morning!" She greeted him.

He smiled shyly at her. "So... did you had a good nights sleep?"

"Well, apparently you are a good pillow, because I slept like I haven't for a long time." She replied with her smile still dancing in her eyes.

"Glad to hear that!" He said caressing her hair.

His gesture was spontaneous and all this was very different but all very normal too. Surprisingly nothing felt awkward. Even though they were two almost strangers that hadn't seen each other for nine years or more and were in the same small bed with a minimal amount of clothes on. This was the most intimate moment they actually had. Body to body, skin to skin, like they had never been because after all, they were just teens when they were actually boyfriend and girlfriend and although their story seems long they didn't date for a long period.

Jess lay his gaze on her and tried to keep this new comfortable for them going. "So should I go get something to eat? It's almost 9 am."

"That's too early for me!" She said smirking and cuddling on the bed.

"So we hang out here or do you want to go back to sleep?" The smile on his face showed her how happy he was to be there with her and she couldn't feel any better either.

"Well if you don't mind being my pillow for a while longer we could cuddle here a bit yes!" She said trying to read his reaction and wondering to herself what was she doing.

"So... You are using me? Ok than! Good to know." He joked.

"Yes, basically I am!" She said, laying on his chest. "You are cozy and we fit perfectly like this!" She thought again to herself that she was playing with fire but she was enjoying this new normal so much that she wasn't ready to leave the bed for now. It was too good there.

He laughed into her hair. " Ok let's cuddle here a little more than. I know you will be hungry soon so..." He finished his sentence with a kiss on the top of her head and an arm slug around her back.

"This does feel good doesn't it?" She asked caressing his arm.

"Yes, it does!" He muttered softly.

She raised her head and faced him, pausing before she spoke. "What are we doing Jess?" She asked, looking at him straight in the eyes.

"What? This?" He asked before he gently grabbing her chin and kissing her slowly. He deepened the kiss feeling her respond to him. Putting her hands around his neck she managed to push herself closer to him to feel him better.

When they finally fell apart, still with their foreheads resting on each other, Jess thought back to their first kiss. "I believe it's called kissing and surprisingly we still are pretty good at it! That part still works." He said with a smirk.

She smiled against his mouth as she also thought back to their real first kiss too. This time she is the one who kisses him, pulling him closer to her once again.

* * *

 _Thank you so much for reading!_


	4. Their First Snow

Around noon they decided to leave the bed. Not that they needed to but mostly because they were sure Luke was already stressing out downstairs. They had heard him twice at the door, probably trying to understand if they were sleeping or not. They laughed about it and stayed cuddling in Jess' really small bed for a bit more.

"You know that this is totally different for us, right? Like we've never done this before!" Rory commented to Jess while she tried to find a robe in her bag.

"And?" Jess asked, trying to read her.

"And what?" She asked trying to read him too.

"How do you feel about it?" He asked, avoiding her eyes. Mostly because he had enjoyed it too much and was not ready to get any negative feedback.

"Pretty good actually. I confess, when I saw you downstairs I froze, I was not ready to face you, especially now. But it was all so natural that I can't believe that we spent so much time apart." She said facing him to show him she was being honest. He just nodded and got up from the bed to hug her and kiss the top of her head. This was really natural after all, he thought to himself.

They spend most of the time just kissing and cuddling, something they use to do, but not in bed and with Jess half naked. For some reason, that they couldn't really explain, they didn't advance their moves, as naturally as they just kissed and cuddled, they stopped themselves from doing something more than that. For Jess, he was afraid of moving too fast with her and pushing her away. On Rory's mind was the comfort of having him there and not wanting to speed things up. She was trying to enjoy every moment of it. But without words they both went in the same direction and enjoyed the moment.

"I think I'm going downstairs to grab us something to eat!" Jess said, preparing himself to go and give her some privacy.

"Don't, well go..." She mumble making him stop and look at her confused. She giggled. "Go but don't bring food, I will meet you downstairs and please inform your uncle that I'm alive and breathing because he already picture a million scenarios in his head." Jess laughed at her comment and left the apartment leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Rory smiled at the memories of last night and tried to not overthink the latest events. She needed to enjoy the fact that she had finally a reason to smile these days. Picking up his jacket, she went downstairs to find Luke and Jess having what looked like an argument.

"I'm telling Luke that nothing happened," Jess said for the third time.

"Hey left your jacket! Something wrong?" Rory said trying to understand what the argument was about.

Jess waved his head. "No Rory, Luke is just worried about our wake up hours."

"And what didn't happened?" She asked, curious.

Luke tried to minimize the subject but that was not Jess and he told her, making both Luke and Rory to blush. "Oh that. Well Luke doesn't believe that we just sleep last night... You know he thinks we did something more..." His smile was priceless. As always Jess managed to make her laugh instead of go through an uncomfortable situation.

Jess was so comfortable about it that Rory just went with it. "Oh Luke I can assure you that we didn't do much but if we actually did indeed do something more than sleep it wouldn't be a real problem right? After all we all adults now, right?"

Rory's statement shut Luke down completely. He just nodded and served them the coffees that they were so eager for.

Smiling at each other they started their breakfast. "So, what's your plans for today?" Rory asked.

"I don't know yet. Maybe I will write a bit more, you?"

"I have lunch with my mother but we can do something in the afternoon. What do you think?" She asked, hopping for some time alone with him, to try to figure out what she was feeling right now.

"Sounds good! Meet me here after lunch ok?"

She grabbed her coat and prepare herself to leave. "Done! Hope you manage to write!" She said and as she got up from the counter bench placed a rapid kiss on his lips, leaving everybody surprised even herself. When she left Luke was still speechless.

"So nothing happend right?" Luke finally asked.

"Ok we kissed, but nothing more than that! And this subject ends here," Jess said and left the diner texting Rory hopping her number was still the same. "What was that?"

He asked with an emoji smile.

"I'm sorry I didn't think and it felt natural to do it!" She replied.

"It's totally okay for me. I just wasn't expecting it but you can keep going on that natural mood!"

She smiled at his text and thought about the way she would tell all this to her mother.

That afternoon they hung out around town, visit their favorite spots, taking a trip down memory lane. Here and there, a kiss and a hug in between and it was already time for dinner again. They went back to Luke's, ordered dinner and Jess took it upstairs, leaving his uncle wondering what was going on between those two.

They kept talking about their lives, about them and surprisesly for both about their future. They talked about what Rory should do next and how they could manage to be together. They were talking like a couple, planning their lifes like a couple. In the middle of the laughs and tickles and hugs that always were present when they were together, like a long time ago. They came closer again and they kissed. The bed was just right there and without thinking or even planning both were half naked on that small bed.

"You know we never did this and maybe... Well I don't know if we... Do you feel..." Jess was babbling between kisses.

Rory stopped him with another kiss, then she place her hand on his chest. Smiling up at him. "Jess? Are you ok?"

He giggled. "I am, I just wanted this to be perfect! I pictured this moment for a long time so I don't want you to feel pressured about it!"

She kissed him hard and bit his ear lightly. Almost whispering she said, "Jess I want you so bad right now that nothing matters." And those were her last words because he never left her mouth again until he made her come in a way that she thought wasn't possible.

Maybe because of the way his warm and gentle touch ran through her body, like he wanted to memorize every single detail of her body. Maybe because of the way her sweet and eager kisses felt like she wanted to feel all of him and never forget this moment. Or maybe because of the way their bodies dance together, skin to skin like they knew each other for ages or even because of the way their eyes said "I want you!" without words every time they faced each other, they had the most amazing sex that they ever had had, or at least that either of them could remember having.

Laying on Jess' bare chest, caressing him with her fingertips, drawing little circles, Rory thought how all this was much more than she expected when she came back home. Jess always was in her heart. She now realized that she eventually ended up comparing every man that she dated with Jess. That was the main reason why she was here and now single. As much as she wanted to, she never forgot him and the way that only he made her feel. Real and natural, that were the words that defined her relationship with Jess. The fact that she never achieve this with anyone else was probably a result of him always being in her heart. Was she admitting to herself finally that she was still in love with him? Oh apparently she was.

Jess caressed her hair because he knew that was something that she always enjoyed and he travel back to when they were just two teenagers madly in love. Was he still in love with this woman? After all this years, he still knew her likes and dislikes, her smile by heart. He always knew she would be a memory in his life, but never thought that one day this memory could be real. He had always been in love with Rory Gilmore. Apparently even he had lived in denial.

Rory raised her head to face him and said in a still husky tone: "Jess I..."

But he cut her off. "Rory I think I'm still in love with you, I think I never stop loving you!"

She smiled at his urge to say his words and kissed him sweetly. When she spoke her tone was more light and he could hear the smile in her voice. "Well you beat me, because I was about to tell you that I love you and probably always did!"

And they laughed happily.

"We are really a pretty mess you know. It is what it is... You and Me!'" He added between the giggles and the kisses.

* * *

The days turn in to weeks and without them even noticing Jess was living between Stars Hallow and Philadelphia for three months now. Writing in Stars Hallow was very productive and his next book was almost done but his job at the Truncheon Books was his breadwinner so he couldn't leave that behind just like that. Besides he really enjoyed his work there so he made a commitment that was working for the both of them.

Rory wrote an article online that put her name in the spotlight again and between weeks she made deals to write for two different online magazines. The new job implied more travel for her, because let's face it she lived in Stars Hallow and there were not a lot of subject to explore there, but with Jess' absence in Philly she managed to schedule her travels to coincide with that period. With a minimum effort their lives got on track in a very satisfying way, reminding both of them how natural they were together. The apartment above the dinner became their home for now and either they nor Luke could be more happy about it.

Lorelai was accepting too. Everyone knew that she was never a major fan of Jess but he had proven to her that he really knew what he was doing now. She had to admitted that she did see Rory happy for the first time in a long time and now her daughter seem to be her Rory again, and she had Jess to thank for that.

They dined together every Friday, the awkward conversations were frequent however, because there were things that never changed.

One of those nights, between Rory and Luke laughing at Jess and Lorelai's awkward exchange of words, Rory received a text. It was Lane and it was a picture that she had taken moments ago. It showed the diner with low light and fairy lights outside, and showed the four of them sitting at "their table" by the window close to the door. She could see her and Luke's funny look and her mother and Jess' awkward exchange looks. She look outside to see if Lane was still there but she was already gone. The message only said "I smell snow" and when Rory looked outside again it was starting to snow.

"Mom its snowing!" Was all Rory had to say. She and Lorelai ran outside and the men followed them, not because they loved snow but because they were in love with the Gilmore's and that meant that when the first snow of the year came you went outside and hugged them and contemplate.

The first snow flakes of the year started to fall on them while Luke hugged Lorelai to keep her warm and Jess held Rory's hand as she lay her head on his shoulder.

The first snow of their new beginning.


End file.
